First impressions are often lasting impressions, so it’s important to get a winning start in your new job. This means starting to produce useful results quickly while being helpful to co-workers. It also means adapting fast to the workplace culture.

A study by Leadership IQ, a Washington, D.C., employment consulting firm, indicates that a startling 46 percent of newly hired employees will fail within 18 months. A similar study of newly hired managers by Right Management Consultants, a Philadelphia-based leadership development firm, is only slightly less alarming in its finding that more than one-third quit or are asked to leave within 18 months.

“Starting a new job is a time of great opportunity,” says Milo Sindell, co-author of “Sink or Swim: New Job. New Boss. 12 Weeks to Get It Right,” and co-founder of the employee consulting firm Hit the Ground Running. Read the full story